Luna Vachon
Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon. Biography Sports-entertainment is filled with second and even third-generation Superstars, but it's very rare that females are part of multiple generations -- unless, of course, your family name is Vachon. Luna Vachon is one of the few females to follow in her father's footsteps and climb into the squared circle. But the daughter of famed Canadian grappler Paul "Butcher" Vachon didn't just have role models in her own home; they're all over her family. Her uncle, Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon, was a five-time AWA World Champion, and aunt Vivian Vachon was one of the most successful female Superstars of the 1970s. As a youngster, Luna would often climb into the ring with her father, aunt or uncle before or after their matches. After making it clear that she wouldn't be dissuaded of a career in the ring, Luna officially trained under Vivian and The Fabulous Moolah in the mid-1980s and made her professional debut in 1986. Competing in Championship Wrestling from Florida as a member of Kevin Sullivan's clan, she struck fear into her opponents based on her physical presence alone: A half-shaven mane of blond hair, freaky face paint and a sneer that never seemed to leave her face. After leaving Florida, Luna spent time as a competitor and a manager in various independents and Puerto Rico. In 1993, she finally came to WWE for the first time, replacing Hall of Famer "Sensational" Sherri as Shawn Michaels' manager. She later moved on to managing Bam Bam Bigelow, eventually falling in love with the "Beast from the East" and becoming his "main squeeze." The duo warred with Doink the Clown and his pint-size prankster sidekick, Dink, for months, leading to a match where Bam Bam & Luna defeated Doink & Dink at WrestleMania X. Later in 1994, Luna sold Bam Bam's contract to Ted DiBiase and concentrated on winning the revived Women's Championship. While she was unable to win the title from then-champion Alundra Blayze before leaving WWE late in 1994, her hand-picked henchwoman -- Japanese Superstar Bull Nakano -- eventually did claim the gold. Short stints in both ECW and WCW followed before Luna returned to WWE in 1997 to stand by the side of The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust. Luna quickly developed a rivalry with Sable, leading to another WrestleMania Mixed Tag Team Match. This time, however, Luna & Goldust were defeated by Sable & Marc Mero. The following year, however, the two Divas would patch up their differences, and for the first time, Luna heard the cheers of our fans. Paired with Sable and The Oddities -- a collection of Superstars who were all slightly bizarre in some way -- Luna became quite popular. It wouldn't last, however, as Luna would later attack Sable and rekindle their rivalry. Throughout 1999, she continued to chase the Women's Championship and also managed Gangrel before leaving WWE for good in early-2000. Thereafter, she had been semi-retired, occasionally returning to the ring from time to time for various independent promotions. Even though she never captured the Women's Championship, Luna was one of the most feared and respected competitors of the 1990s. At a time when the word "Diva" was being redefined in WWE, Luna Vachon was one of those who used her talents and unique look to help rewrite the lexicon. - WWE.com Personal life Born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Charles Henry Wilkerson and Rebecca "Van" Pierce, Luna was adopted by Butcher Vachon in 1966, when he married her mother Van, his second wife, and continued to raise her as his daughter after the marriage split. By virtue of the adoption, Luna is also the niece of "Mad Dog" Vachon and Vivian Vachon. She was also close to André the Giant. Luna was married three times, first to Dan Hurd, with whom she had two sons, Joshua (born 1980) and Van (born 1982), who competed on the sixth and seventeenth seasons of Fox's reality cooking show Hell's Kitchen. After breaking up, she dated Dick Slater for a while until Slater began physically abusing her. She then married childhood friend Tom Nash. After Nash and Vachon split, David Heath, Nash's tag team partner in The Blackhearts, and Vachon married on October 31, 1994. During this marriage, she was stepmother to David's sons, David, Jr. and Donavan. The two divorced in 2006 but, according to Heath, remained best of friends. She had three grandchildren, Lauren, Austin and Neila. She was featured in both Playboy and Hustler. Luna was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She became a born again Christian in 2004, after attending an Athletes International Ministry conference. She was baptized by fellow wrestler Nikita Koloff along with her then-husband David Heath. In 2007, she worked as a tow truck operator in Port Richey, Florida. Final years and death Luna was honored in April 2009 at the 44th annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion, given the "Ladies Wrestling Award" in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of her fondest memories about the wrestling business was being able to visit children as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. After her retirement, Luna took an interest in fellow Canadian wrestlers and especially monitored the career of Nattie Neidhart, the daughter of fellow wrestler and friend Jim Neidhart. Around Christmas 2009, Vachon's house was destroyed by a fire in which she lost her wrestling-related memorabilia and other possessions. After the fire, she stayed at her mother's home and joined her father and his third wife Dee on a cruise in February 2010. The fire prompted a call from fellow wrestler and friend Mick Foley (and others) to fans to send Luna-related memorabilia to Vachon's post office box. Foley also suggested that TNA bring her in to manage Tommy Dreamer at the Hardcore Justice pay-per-view in August 2010, but Vachon turned down the offer, stating that she had retired. On the morning of August 27, 2010, she was found dead by her mother at her home in Pasco County, Florida. She was 48 years old. According to the District Six Medical Examiner's Office in Florida, she died from an "overdose of oxycodone and benzodiazepine". Investigators previously found crushed pill residue and snorting straws at multiple locations inside Vachon's house. Vachon became addicted to medication at some point and underwent rehabilitation, paid for by WWE, which she completed in June 2009. She was cremated after her death and her ashes were scattered at the ranch formerly owned by her close friend André the Giant in Ellerbe, North Carolina. Championships and accomplishments * World Wrestling Entertainment ** WWE ranked her #'14' on their Top 25 Most Impactful Women's list Category:WWE Alumni Category:ECW Alumni Category:WCW Alumni Category:1993 Debuts Category:1997 Debuts Category:1994 Departures Category:2000 Departures Category:Wrestlers Category:American Divas Category:Managers/Valets Category:ECW Divas Category:RAW Divas Category:New Generation Era Category:Deceased